


Decrescendo

by BeeAnka



Series: Sing Me A Song Of Despair [10]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: F/F, Implied/Referenced Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 16:13:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13034757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeeAnka/pseuds/BeeAnka
Summary: Mukuro makes plans for the weekend.





	Decrescendo

**Author's Note:**

> You know, when I saw the word count I was like... 7,000 words seems like it's too little. But then I was like... girl, there's something wrong with you! That's not actually a small amount! Anyway, rambling aside, my girlfriend made art again!
> 
> Tiny Junko: https://inacron.tumblr.com/post/168615721351
> 
> Despair Sisters and earrings: https://inacron.tumblr.com/post/168615737351

* * *

 

On Thursday, Mukuro spends lunch break in Junko's room instead of on the roof with her friends, leaning against the door and slowly eating her sandwich while watching Junko and Someya work.

Her phone buzzes once during it, but she ignores it.

"What a weird layout! Are you sure that's right, bowlcut?"

Someya bristles at Junko's question. "I'm the Ultimate Architect," he says, eyes still fixed on the plans in front of him. "I don't make mistakes. Can you eat your chips somewhere else too?"

Junko sighs. "That's a bad attitude to have, Someya-chan! If we don't make mistakes, then how do we learn from them?" She asks with an air of sage wisdom, then shoves another chip in her mouth and starts chewing noisily. She looks over the boy's shoulder again. "Wow, my underground maze is starting to look like the real deal! I can't wait until-"

"Shut up!" Someya interrupts her, looking away from the plans to glare at Junko instead. "I don't want to hear it. And stop eating next to my blueprints already! You're going to get crumbs on them!"

Junko snickers. "Awww, you think plausible deniability is gonna protect you? That's so cute!" She holds out her bag of chips. "Want some?"

"No! Who eats salt and vinegar chips anyway? That's disgusting. And I don't know what you're-"

"Yeah, yeah, nothing suspicious going on here!" Junko lets out another sigh. She turns to Mukuro. "Do you want some, sis? You're always eating the same boring garbage."

Mukuro, smelling the vinegar from where she's standing, tries not to scrunch up her face at the thought too much. "No, thank you. I'm good." She'd rather eat that avocado toast thing.

"Suit yourself!" Junko crunches on another chip, her face pure bliss. Finished with her own sandwich, Mukuro stuffs the wrapper into her blazer's pocket. She'd put it in the trash, but her sister doesn't like when people put their things into her trash for some reason.

"Anyway," Someya speaks up. "Are we done? I don't want to spend my entire lunch break here."

"Geez, even though I've offered you food and all." Junko shrugs, throwing the still half full bag of chips behind her, where it somehow lands perfectly on a chair. "And, sure! Gonna spend the rest of it with the lovely vice president? Gonna show her your newest plushies? Ohhh, is that a white bear I spot in your left pocket?" She reaches for it.

"Leave my plushies alone!" Someya exclaims, moving away to dodge the hand, then looks at her with suspicion. "And what's it to you who I spend my time with?"

Junko puts the back of her right hand to her forehead, throwing her head back dramatically, causing her ruby earrings to bounce. Mukuro smiles fondly. They look great on her sister. "I'm just so jealous!" Junko wails. "You like her more than me, don't you?! I could cry..."

Someya looks at her in disgust. "Kotomi-san is like a sister to me, you weirdo! I don't even like you, so I couldn't care less about what you feel. Besides, you're just making fun of me anyway!" He storms past her to the door, stopping in front of Mukuro. He glares at her. "Can you move?"

Mukuro glances at the boy dispassionately, not moving a muscle. "Junko-chan hasn't allowed you to leave yet," she tells him. "No."

"You- you can't make me stay here!"

"Oh, but she can." Junko says, bending down and slinging her arms around Someya's shoulders from behind. He grows still. "I wouldn't make my big sis angry if I was you," she murmurs quietly into his ear. "There's, like, ten different ways she could hurt you until you're squealing like a pig about to get slaughtered right now."

"I can think of twice as many." Mukuro comments.

"Y-You can't threaten me..." Someya says, but the way he's trembling makes it obvious he's unsure of his own words. "We- we're in school."

"Doesn't that just make it more exciting?" Junko lets out a short snicker. She turns him around forcefully, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Y'know, Someya-chan... you've been awfully rude to me this entire time. Don't you think that warrants an apology?" She asks, a pout on her face.

"Sorry." Someya mutters. "Can I go now?"

Junko hums. "There's still an issue we need to talk about. By the way, if you're trying to resist or scream I'm gonna scratch out your cute little eyes." She gives him a push, and he stumbles back.

Mukuro, seizing him immediately, twists his arms behind his back. He is smart enough not to try to resist or make a noise -- neither would help him.

"I know you've been telling your dear 'Kotomi-san' about our project." Junko says. "I'm disappointed in you, Someya-chan. Aren't you the one who scolded me about discretion?"

"I-I didn't tell her anything." Someya stammers. "I just said I'm working on something for you... I just- I told her so I could complain about you, that's all! I swear!"

"Y'know what?" Junko leans in until her face is only inches from his, grinning. "I believe you! Was that so hard? Let go of him, sis."

Mukuro obeys. Someya jumps away from her, and from Junko, rubbing his arms. He looks at the two of them in a mix between anger and fear.

Junko winks at her, then looks over to Someya. "I trust Mukuro-chan, so I have no problem telling her about this stuff. 'Kotomi-san' on the other hand... I don't know her. This project is a secret. Don't tell anyone about it or people are gonna get hurt. Get it?"

Despite being so obviously frightened, Someya gives her a rebellious look. "A-And what if I don't?" He challenges. "Is your creepy sister going to shoot Kotomi-san? Are you going to kill me? Huh?"

Junko beams. "Yeah, that sounds good!"

"You- you're crazy!" Someya yells, almost shrieks. "This isn't funny! What- what's wrong with you?"

"I don't think there's enough time left to go through that list." Junko muses. "Anyway, relax!" She laughs. "I won't have you or anyone else killed for that! Geez, did you really believe I would do that?"

Someya looks as relieved as he does suspicious. "Your sister is the Ultimate Soldier... a-and you just assaulted me!"

"Awww, it was just a prank!" Junko says. "To be honest, I was just annoyed you were always so rude to me. That's so mean, y'know?"

"Like your behavior is any better..." Someya mutters. "And I've already said I'm sorry."

"Then start acting nicer, bowlcut!" Junko orders, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, you can go now. Let him past, Mukuro-chan."

Mukuro steps away from the door. Hesitantly, Someya walks up to it.

"By the way, Someya-chan?" Junko's words make him freeze on the spot. "The project really is a secret, so don't tell anyone. Or you'll regret it. Alrighty?" The boy nods without looking back. "Great! See ya tomorrow! Bye bye!"

Without another sound, Someya walks out of the room, Mukuro closing the door afterwards.

She looks at Junko, feeling strange about what just happened. "You know he doesn't really believe this was just a prank, right?"

Junko gives one of her carnivorous grins. "I'm counting on it."

"It just..." Mukuro knows the continued questioning might make her sister angry, but she's worried. "It seems a bit risky to threaten him like that."

Junko doesn't seem bothered though. "How does the saying go? No risk, no reward!"

"What's the reward exactly...?"

Junko sighs. "You wouldn't get it even if I explained it, sis! Just stick to leaning against things and looking intimidating. You're good at that."

"Alright..." The apology is on her lips, but Mukuro suppresses the urge. "I shouldn't question you. Your plans never fail."

"I know, right? Perfection is so boring though! Anyway, what was that message you've gotten earlier about? Show me!"

Mukuro still feels something was off about Junko's behavior with Someya, but there's no point in talking about it further. She's lucky her sister hasn't gotten angry, and she doesn't want to push her luck. She pulls out her phone, opening the message.

 **Tsumiki-san:** I-I hope you're having a nice lunch, Ikusaba-san. I-If it isn't too much to- to ask can you come by the nurse's office during the br-break? I won't be around d-during afternoon a-and I'm helping out instead of attending class today u-until classes end.

"It's Tsumiki-san." Mukuro tells her sister, showing her the message. Junko reads it, a big grin forming on her face.

"Maybe I should come along." Junko suggests.

"I wouldn't mind." Mukuro says, though it's not like what she thinks matters.

"Nah, actually! Don't feel like listening to that annoying stuttering today."

It's kind of a mean thing to say, but Mukuro supposes the stuttering _is_ kind of exhausting to listen to. "Alright, Junko-chan. Um, should I go?"

"Yeah, sure! Give my regards to my cute little nurse."

She kind of feels like suggesting Junko should eat more than a couple of salt and vinegar chips for lunch, but her sister doesn't like it when people -- especially a worried Mukuro -- talk about her eating habits.

When Mukuro leaves her sister's room, she feels a strange sense of relief, and she realizes it's because she really doesn't want to see Junko and Tsumiki interacting with each other.

She has a slight idea as to why, but suppresses the thought.

Nothing good ever comes of thinking too much about things.

 

-

 

Mukuro is surprised to see that there's someone else besides Tsumiki.

"C'mon, big sis Tsumiki! I know you're holding out on me!" She watches, blinking, as a noticeably younger girl in a kimono tugs on the nurse's apron, whining all the while. "Gimme!"

"B-But I'm telling the truth, Saionji-san... th-there really aren't any lollipops here..."

"Liar! Doctors always have lollipops, everyone knows that! I forgot my gummies, so gimme!"

"Um... your r-room really isn't th-that far away..."

"Stop talking back to me, pig!" The girl gives Tsumiki's hair a harsh pull, causing the latter to emit a pained noise. "Give me the stupid candy already!"

This girl... kind of reminds her of her sister when they were children. Except surely Junko wasn't that bad, even at her worst?

Either way, Mukuro feels she has to interrupt at this point. "Tsumiki-san? Is this a bad time?"

Tsumiki turns to her, startled. "I-Ikusaba-san? Um..."

"Hey, you! Uh, big sis Freckles!" The little girl lets go of the purple hair and points at her. "Make big sis Tsumiki give me a lollipop and I'll get you one too!"

Mukuro frowns at the rude child. "The Elementary School Division has their own nurse's office." She points out. Is that girl maybe Tsumiki's little sister? There is no resemblance and it'd be weird for her to call her own sister 'Saionji-san'... though it _is_ Tsumiki, so it's possible.

"The _what_?" The little girl's eyes nearly bulge out their sockets. "I've grown at least three centimeters over the last few months! I'm in big sis Tsumiki's class, you dumb jerk! We're the same age!"

Well, Mukuro supposes the girl doesn't look _that_ young. It's highly unlikely they're sisters, then. "My bad," she says, but couldn't care less. Not when Tsumiki looks close to tears. She glances at the girl, Saionji, with irritation. "If you're not sick or injured, you should leave."

"You don't tell me what to do!" Saionji says, her face flushing red. "Also, you're in the class below me, aren't you? You should show me some respect!" She kicks Tsumiki in the shin for seemingly no reason other than because she can.

Mukuro feels anger bubbling up inside of her at the sight; the situation reminds her of one of the bullies at the institution who tried picking on Junko. 'Tried' being the keyword.

Further talk seems pointless.

She walks up to Saionji, and to her credit the girl doesn't flinch back, just keeps glaring at her. Still, it doesn't bother Mukuro. She picks her up, carrying her to the door.

Saionji shrieks with indignance, squirming in her grip. "Hey, let me down! How dare-"

Mukuro puts her down outside of the nurse's office. She holds her in place, going to eye level with the girl. "Don't bully my friend again or I will beat you up. And believe me, I will know if you do." She promises, then stands up and, before Saionji can retort, shuts the door in her face.

It seems unfair, not inflicting any kind of pain on the girl even though Tsumiki had to suffer some, but Mukuro suspects the nurse wouldn't want her to do that. She has to respect that, since they're friends.

Tsumiki seems conflicted, looking at her with both awe and... fear, for some reason. "Y-You didn't have- I-I mean th-thank you, b-but Saionji-san w-was just trying- um... y-you shouldn't pick fights be-because of me, Ikusaba-san..."

"It would hardly be a fight, Tsumiki-san. That girl is tiny, and I'm the Ultimate Soldier to boot." Mukuro says mildly. "What was that about anyway?"

"Ah, um..." Tsumiki looks embarrassed. "Sai-Saionji-san sometimes b-bullies me, I guess... it's n-not really a big deal... she doesn't usually hit me... she was just in a b-bad mood..."

"That doesn't mean she can bully you." Mukuro says, frowning. "You shouldn't make excuses for her. Either way, she won't bully you again, or at least not as often. If she does, I..." She pauses for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I will deal with it."

Tsumiki starts sputtering. "Th-That's- you don't... h-have to..."

"We're friends, right?" Mukuro asks, rhetorically. "I won't stand for any of my friends to get bullied."

"It- It's just that..." Tsumiki twiddles her thumbs. "W-Well, everyone in my class a-always says I-I should stand up for my- myself..."

"You should," Mukuro agrees. "But until you can do it yourself, I will help you. Is that okay?"

Tsumiki hesitates, almost looking like she wants to refuse, but nods eventually. "Thank you." She says quietly.

"You're welcome." Mukuro replies.

"N-No, really! Thank you!" Tsumiki blurts out. "Um... I- I mean... no one has ever defended me like th-this before..."

Mukuro is confused. "Doesn't Komaeda-san know that Saionji-san is bullying you?" Well, it makes sense in a way. She supposes most other people wouldn't be willing to beat up someone who looks like a twelve year old, unlike her.

Tsumiki fidgets uncomfortably. "H-He does, but he doesn't interfere m-much... he says he doesn't have the right to im-impose his opinions on an Ultimate Student..."

That does sound like the Komaeda she's met. "Well," Mukuro says uncertainly. "I'm still here, so don't worry about it."

"Komaeda-san does try to st-stand up for me in his own w-way, b-but usually the others just tell him to be quiet..." Tsumiki mentions, maybe feeling she has been unfair towards her friend.

"Your class doesn't seem very nice." Mukuro notes.

Tsumiki's eyes grow wide. "N-No! They're great!" She denies. "W-Well... for most part... it- it's just... I don't know..."

"I understand." Mukuro says. She doesn't understand, but Tsumiki seems to be upset so it's probably best not to delve into it too much.

There is an awkward silence. Surprisingly, it's Tsumiki who breaks it.

"L-Let's see how your hands are doing."

Mukuro nods, already taking the bandages off.

Tsumiki does her usual thing, in that quick and efficient way of hers. She smiles. "L-Looks like we can finally take them off f-for good."

Mukuro is relieved. She supposes wearing them hasn't really been a big deal, but it was a constant reminder that she had lost control of herself. "Thank you, Tsumiki-san."

"You still sh-shouldn't put too much strain on your hands." Tsumiki tells her, though it sounds more like a suggestion coming from her, like most of the time.

"I will keep that in mind," Mukuro replies. "I know I said it before, but if you ever need a favor, don't hesitate to ask. I owe you." She decides to say more. "Even if you tell me it's alright, you can still ask me for help anytime. Friends do that sort of thing."

"O-Okay." Tsumiki says. "A-And um... you can do- do that too! With me! The h-help, I mean..."

"If I ever get shot, I will come to you right away." Mukuro jokes, immediately regretting it when Tsumiki gets a look of panic in her face. "I was joking, Tsumiki-san." She hastily adds.

"Ehehe... th-that's f-funny." Tsumiki stutters, not seeming amused in the slightest.

Mukuro wants to scowl, but that would probably make Tsumiki think it was her fault, so she doesn't. She really needs to start timing her jokes better, or at least change her tone for them. Sayaka makes jokes look so easy. "Going back to the bully problem," she says, having just thought of something. "Sayaka-san expressed interest in learning self-defense. If I ever get around to teaching her, feel free to join us. I should be good enough of a teacher for this, I believe."

Of course, Tsumiki doesn't need self-defense to deal with someone like Saionji, who she could easily overpower due to being much bigger. For dealing with that little pest, she would need a confidence boost. Mukuro doesn't know how to teach that though... but what she does know is how to fight. It's a good thing to learn either way, and maybe a confidence boost would accompany being able to successfully defend herself too.

"I-I don't know..." Tsumiki says, nervousness obvious. "I don't real- really want to hurt anyone..."

"Self-defense is mostly for preventing yourself from getting hurt. There are plenty of ways to defend yourself without seriously hurting the person attacking you." Why Tsumiki would care about the health of someone seriously attacking her is incomprehensible to Mukuro, but she supposes she has to respect that as well.

"I wouldn't want to impose... since you a-and Maizono-san... um..."

"It's fine," Mukuro assures. "Sayaka-san wouldn't mind having you there. She likes you."

Tsumiki blushes. "Mai-Maizono-san has been sending me texts... sh-she's very kind... um, d-did she really say th-that?"

Mukuro has been texting Tsumiki too, but probably not as much as Sayaka has. She just isn't very good at starting a conversation, which is why all her attempts to do so fall kind of flat. Still, she thinks it's been enough to make sure her promise from Monday wasn't just empty words. And it's not like Tsumiki is an expert conversationalist either.

"Yes, she told me herself. Actually..." Mukuro really wishes she could just ignore it ever happened, but friends probably shouldn't do that. And she owes the other girl, too. "I've been meaning to tell you something."

Tsumiki regards her with apprehension, though she looks curious as well. "Y-Yes?"

"I've accidentally told Sayaka-san that you like girls. She didn't mind at all and promised not to tell anyone though. I'm sorry. It slipped out. It wasn't on purpose." Mukuro says, suppressing the urge to cringe at how awkward and stilted the words feel to her.

"O-Oh." Tsumiki's face lights up as if she just realized something. "So that's why... um... it's o-okay, Ikusaba-san! Maizono-san actually told me she likes girls too over t-texting..."

"She has...?"

Mukuro tries to process what she just heard. Could it be Sayaka shared that information so the apology would be easier to make, to cause Tsumiki to worry less than she would otherwise? It's possible.

"Y-You did it by accident, r-right?" Tsumiki asks.

Mukuro nods.

"W-Well..." Tsumiki smiles. "Don't worry about it... I for- forgive you..."

"Thank you, Tsumiki-san." In truth, Mukuro hasn't expected the girl to get overtly upset over it, but it's good to know anyway.

"It's not r-really a secret to begin with..." Tsumiki says. "If- if anyone asked me, I would tell them..."

Mukuro looks at her in surprise. "Isn't that kind of risky?"

"I-I probably wouldn't have told a-anyone last week, but..." Tsumiki seems embarrassed, even moreso than usually. "B-Because I like girls, I-I've made three friends. Ehehe... th-three!" She holds up three fingers for emphasis. "That's why I... I can't act like I'm ash- ashamed of it... even if I get b-bullied..."

Mukuro isn't sure what she's feeling right now, but seeing Tsumiki this happy... all she knows is that she's made the right decision in deciding to befriend the nurse. "No one will bully you as long as I'm here," she tells her. "Tell me if anyone does. I will make them stop." By force, if necessary. Some of Junko's assailants had to learn the hard way. Not that her sister was helpless on her own by any means, but still.

"O-Okay..." Tsumiki agrees.

Mukuro expected her to be more resistant to the idea, but she's glad it's not the case.

Tsumiki opens her mouth as if to say something else, then closes it again.

"Feel free to say what's on your mind." Mukuro encourages her.

"I was just... th-thinking..." Tsumiki mumbles. "What if I never g-get enough confidence to stand up for my- myself? You'll get fed up with- with me..."

"If you never manage to do that, I will just have to do it forever." Mukuro says, not really caring. It's not like it takes a lot of effort to intimidate others, or to beat them up.

Tsumiki gives her a disbelieving look. "B-But isn't it bad if I never... n-never... change...?"

"Well," Mukuro considers that. "I wouldn't necessarily say so. I do think you should learn how to deal with those situations yourself, but if you don't... I won't stop being your friend or anything." She frowns. "I want you to stand up for yourself because I like you and therefore worry about you, so why would I stop being your friend because of that? It doesn't really make sense to me."

"You- You're so kind, Ikusaba-san..." Tsumiki says softly, almost whispering the words, her face beet red. "I... I'll get better though! I promise..."

Mukuro nods. "I believe in you." She says, and she means it.

Tsumiki tugs on her apron with her left hand, hesitantly making eye contact with her. "Y-You do...?"

"Yes." Mukuro answers. Hasn't she made that obvious already? "You did agree to talk to a stranger about your romantic orientation. I suppose that's not exactly the same thing, but it had to require some bravery too, right?"

"I-I was scared, but Enoshima-san asked me to..." Tsumiki mumbles, suddenly looking uncomforable. "Um... Ikusaba-san... pl-please don't be mad, but... I didn't really listen to you when you said to stay- to stay away from your sister..."She noticeably swallows. "It- it's just that Enoshima-san i-is usually... um, always... t-the one who approaches me a-and I can't really t-tell her to go away..."

Mukuro has almost forgotten about that already. "That's fine," she says, feeling stupid about her behavior back then. "I'm not even sure why I asked that to begin with. I apologize for making that strange request. By the way, Junko-chan asked me to give you her regards. She wanted to come along with me today, but had other plans."

"R-Really? That's..." Tsumiki giggles. "Th-Thank you... I really l-like Enoshima-san... she's trying to get me to stand up for my- myself too..."

Mukuro smiles. Maybe Tsumiki reminds her sister of their time in the institution too and took pity on the poor girl. What's more likely though...

Mukuro stops smiling, suppressing the thought. "Well," she mutters. "I don't really want to talk about my sister, if you don't mind. Feel free to be her friend though."

Tsumiki pales. "I-I wouldn't call myself h-her friend... am I even w-worthy of that title...? Eno-Enoshima-san is just so pr-pretty and... and... ah!" She squeals, slapping her hands in front of her face.

Mukuro rolls her eyes, since the other girl can't see it. "Alright, that's enough."

"I-I'm sorry...! Please f-forgive me!"

"It's fine. Moving on," Mukuro says, feeling exhausted. She genuinely likes Tsumiki, but it's hard to deal with her sometimes. "What do you think about going out to a cake shop?" She should probably add something so there isn't any confusion. "As friends, I mean. Platonically."

"You..." Tsumiki gapes at her again. "You want to s-spend time with me, Ikusaba-san...? O-Outside of school?"

"Well... yes." Mukuro says, somewhat puzzled. "Isn't that what friends do?"

"I don't r-really know... but yes! Th-That sounds great!" Tsumiki says with delight, but the happiness abruptly turns to anxiety. "But um... are- aren't I too fat...?"

With slight confusion, Mukuro looks her over. "No, I don't think you are. Who said that?"

Tsumiki averts her eyes. "Saionji-san s-sometimes calls me fat... a-and um... Enoshima-san s-said a few things, b-but she wasn't... _really_ saying it... I d-don't know how to explain... I-I know she didn't mean it l-like that though..."

"Saionji-san is just a bully. And you probably misunderstood Junko-chan," Mukuro says, her first statement being the truth and the second one probably being a lie. "Either way, you're definitely not overweight. Even if you were, it's not like your talent requires you to be in peak physical condition, so it wouldn't be an issue." She doesn't know anything about body image, but hopes she does a fine job assuring Tsumiki. "If you don't want to eat cake though, we can just drink tea, or coffee. It's not like I'm a big fan of cakes to begin with."

Tsumiki slowly looks up, smiling slightly. "I'd like to eat some cake."

"Then we will do that." Mukuro says, trying her best to return the smile. Tsumiki didn't even stutter just now. "I have to look through my phone for the address. I will text it to you later. Does tomorrow or the day after that sound good to you?"

"Th-Thank you...! A-And yes... th-that sounds great!"

"Alright then." Mukuro says, feeling a bit awkward at how happy Tsumiki seems. She supposes the girl hasn't had friends to go out with before.

It's not like Mukuro ever had a friend -- an actual one -- to spend time with either, but it never really bothered her. Junko has always been enough for her, and she held true to that notion even when some of the people in Fenrir were trying to include her in their loose camaraderie.

The bell rings.

"I-I'm sorry for keeping you for so l-long!" Tsumiki says. "You should go- go to your class before you're late."

"Don't worry about it," Mukuro says. "See you later, Tsumiki-san."

"Good- Goodbye, Ikusaba-san!"

When Mukuro leaves the nurse's office, she finds herself feeling... oddly good about herself.

For the first time she's consciously aware that she's capable of improving another person's life, just like she is capable of ruining it. No, it's not like she hasn't thought of that before... but it's the first time she feels good about it.

She wonders just how much different things would be if Junko enjoyed spreading positive feelings instead of negative ones, if she made others feel nice without destroying their happiness afterwards.

Mukuro supposes it doesn't matter either way.

 

-

 

"What's the verdict?!"

"The blueberry juice is good. The strawberry juice is better." Mukuro considers the ranking, giving the cans a calculative look. "I like maracuyá and cherry better than both of them though."

"Well, I'll take that. Solid score." Sayaka concludes, appearing satisfied.

Mukuro has missed sitting down with Sayaka in her room and chatting... though it's not like it has been a long time or anything.

"How do you even find all of these juice flavors? Most of the flavors aren't in the vending machines here."

"A juice enthusiast never reveals her sources." Sayaka says mysteriously. She giggles. "Actually, I just order that stuff online."

"Isn't that expensive?"

"I make more than enough money from being an idol," Sayaka shrugs. "Geez Mukuro-san, you're making me feel bad! Everyone's allowed to have some vices, right?"

"I suppose there are worse vices than juice." Mukuro admits.

"Thank goodness! I was just about to give up on them!" Sayaka says, but has an odd look on her face for a moment, almost as if ashamed of herself, but it's gone in a flash. "Just kidding! Some things I wouldn't give up even for you, Mukuro-san!"

"You're teasing me..."

"I sure am!" Sayaka says like she's proud of it. "You poor thing. Once we finally go to the mall with Junko-chan, there'll be non-stop teasing in store for you!" She blinks. "Wait, did I just make a pun? That totally was a pun!"

"I'm not an expert on puns," Mukuro says flatly, not really seeing the humor either way. "And I'm sure Junko-chan will tease you just as much."

"Yeah, but I can dish out too!" Sayaka boasts, then smiles at her in an apologetic way. "No offense, Mukuro-san, but you aren't really good at that!"

"I suppose not." Mukuro mutters. She's been trying to get a bit better though.

"Besides, for someone to be a good teaser there needs to be someone who's good at being teased first. Thank you for your sacrifice."

"You're making fun of me."

"Sorry! No teasing anymore today, promise!"

Mukuro gives her a suspicious look. "I will hold you to that," she says. "Anyway, I'm looking forward to going to the mall too. It's either tomorrow or Saturday."

"I can go on either, provided it's in the afternoon on Saturday." Sayaka says. "Junko-chan and you have to decide."

"I can go on either as well," Mukuro replies. "I don't know if Junko-chan has a photo shoot or anything though, so it's up to her."

"How was yesterday anyway? I wanna hear some details!"

Mukuro smiles at Sayaka's request. That's something she's all too happy to talk about. "First of all, I'm surprised celebrities ever go into the open to begin with. It seems really annoying to have people staring at you or trying to talk to you out of the blue."

"There's usually at least one person who's trying to chat me up in the cake café we went to! I guess I was just lucky that day, or maybe you scared them off." Sayaka giggles. "I meant that in a good way, I swear! Honestly, it doesn't bother me that much unless I'm getting surrounded by a crowd or anything. I actually like it most of the time, it's good to know I'm making people happy."

"Well, a lot of the people Junko-chan seems to make happy are obnoxious boys." Mukuro tries not to scowl at the amount of times Junko was hit on yesterday, especially the last one. "I need to tell you this part, Sayaka-san. The nerve of that guy..." She tries to tell their encounter with the arrogant boy near the end of their visit to the mall as best as she can.

By the time she's finished, Sayaka is laughing so hard she's nearly in tears. "I can- I can just imagine the look on his face when you-" She interrupts herself with another short burst of hysterical laughter.

Mukuro almost wants to laugh as well -- Sayaka's laughter is contagious -- but she's still too annoyed to do that. "Junko-chan later mentioned he looked like I just him with a truck." She pauses. "I said I wished I had."

Sayaka almost doubles over, holding her stomach while shrieking out laughter. "Mu-Mukuro-san, stoppp. It's starting to- to hurt!"

"It's not really that funny." Mukuro protests, smiling in spite of herself.

"Yes, it is!" Sayaka rubs her eyes, slowly calming down. "I'm gonna tell your story to the girls on Saturday. They're gonna love it."

"I hope I'm making a good impression."

"Don't worry, I'm only telling them good things about you!" Sayaka tilts her head. "Are there even bad things about you? Except that you sometimes have bad taste in juice?"

Mukuro can think of a lot of things, but she doesn't want to make things awkward. "I'm fairly sure you're the one who has questionable taste when it comes to juice." She says instead.

"I resent that! How can _liking_ things be a bad thing? It doesn't add up!" Sayaka pauses. "Okay, that's kind of a stupid argument. Liking stuff like _juice flavors_ is what I'm talking about!"

The flow of the conversation is starting to confuse Mukuro. "I think you lost me in the middle somewhere," she admits. "Um, Sayaka-san, do you remember when we were talking about self-defense?" She might as well bring that up now.

"Yeah!" Sayaka chirps. "When are the lessons? I've been meaning to ask."

Mukuro blinks. "I thought you would tell me that."

"But... you're the teacher!"

"Yes, you're right." Mukuro mumbles, feeling embarrassed. Stupid. "Do you mind if Tsumiki-san joins us? She could use some lessons herself."

Sayaka smiles brightly. "I don't mind at all! Tsumiki-senpai really needs to get more confident. Maybe this is gonna help her."

"I was thinking that too," Mukuro says. "Maybe tomorrow, or Saturday? If you both have time in the afternoon, and depending on when we go to the mall."

"Works for me either way." Sayaka chirps.

"Don't tease her too much, please."

"Geez, you're making me sound awful!"

"Well..."

"Mukuro-san! That's rude! I'm not that bad."

"Well..."

"I'm not even listening to you right now!"

Mukuro smiles. "By the way, Sayaka-san... thank you for telling Tsumiki-san that you like girls. Her reaction would have been worse if you hadn't told her, probably."

"Geez." Sayaka looks a bit embarrassed, but smiles as well. "To be honest, I also kind of told her because I was excited to talk about girls with someone for once."

"I haven't asked before, but who actually knows about you?"

"The girls in my idol group and Aoi-chan." Sayaka answers. "Most of the time Aoi-chan doesn't like talking about girls -- or boys -- though, just about Oogami-san. And I can't talk about this stuff with the girls in my group."

Mukuro frowns. "Why not? They aren't homophobic or anything, right?"

"No, no, not at all!" Sayaka denies, almost seeming offended. "They're supportive. It's just that talking to them would feel like... talking to my sisters, I guess? You probably wouldn't want to gush about girls with Junko-chan either, right? It sounds embarrassing..."

"That does sound embarrassing." Mukuro concedes, somewhat mortified at the thought. Junko would probably get rather coarse about the thing as well, which is something she isn't a big fan of.

Not that she can imagine herself talking about girls in such a manner to begin with. She acknowledges that, say, Asahina or Tsumiki are pretty, but the thought of _gushing_ about them feels embarrassing, almost wrong.

Either she's just in love with Sayaka too much or she's still coming to terms with her romantic orientation, Alternatively, she supposes she just isn't the type to gush a whole lot. It doesn't really matter, gushing about Sayaka internally all day long should count for a lot already.

"Girls are just amazing, you know?" Sayaka sighs. "I love girls. Why can't I date all of them, at once?"

"I imagine that would be hard." Mukuro surmises dryly. "I suppose if you're polyamorous, you could make it work with two, maybe three other girls. I don't see how it would work with more than that though."

"That's a lovely dream, dating so many girls." Sayaka giggles. "I'm kidding, though. I'm too possessive to be polyamorous." She winks at Mukuro. "I don't like to share."

"I can't imagine it either," Mukuro mumbles, feeling flustered. Sayaka is flirting with her again, isn't she? "I don't think I could satisfy so many girls at once."

Sayaka's cheeks are getting a pink color all of a sudden. "Um... yeah!" She coughs. "That... might be a problem."

"It's just that there is only so much time I could spend with each of them," Mukuro explains, slightly confused by the other girl's reaction. "I would probably neglect one of them by accident sooner or later."

"Oh, that's... that's what you meant." Sayaka appears to let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, that sounds like it could be a big issue."

"What did you think I was talking about?"

"Nothing! I should've known you wouldn't- anyway, let's just move on!"

Mukuro is still confused, but she's probably not going to get a straight answer. "Alright. Did you ever have a crush on a girl before? A serious one, I mean."

Sayaka considers that. She giggles, sounding kind of embarrassed with herself. "To be honest, I was kind of smitten with Kirigiri-san for a while," she says. "She's just really cool. I kind of had a crush on her at the start of school, but it's faded since then."

"That wasn't long ago." Mukuro mutters, feeling that irrational flare of jealousy again.

"Like I said, I don't have a crush on her anymore. Besides..." Sayaka's voice gets lower. "You know I only have eyes for one girl right now!"

"Well," Mukuro mumbles. "She does too, but you know..."

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to be pushy..." Sayaka says, looking uncomfortable. "Flirting with you just comes naturally, so sometimes I can't really stop myself. I'm trying, though."

"I like it," Mukuro admits, blushing. "You don't... have to stop. With the flirting, at least. But, um..." She gulps. "Please don't do that in front of my sister."

"I'm evil, but not _that_ evil!" Sayaka laughs. "Besides, I wouldn't be able to fight back against Junko-chan's teasing if I let her see that! I wouldn't stand a chance."

Mukuro smiles. "Well, she's very ticklish..."

"Oh?" Sayaka returns the smile, although it's more like a smirk. "That's interesting information, Mukuro-san. I'll put it to good use in the future."

"If you try to tickle her, she will probably make you regret it later though." Mukuro points out.

"Wars don't end after a single battle! I'm prepared to fight for a long time." Sayaka says, in a heroic sounding voice.

"Actually, some wars have ended after a single battle. Or no battle at all."

Sayaka sighs. "That's what I get for being friends with a military nerd."

"I..." Mukuro feels offended by the accusation. "I'm not a nerd..."

"You kind of are."

"Well, then... you're a music nerd."

"Yeah, kind of!" Sayaka says cheerfully. "But let's be honest, that just adds to my charm, doesn't it? And it's a totally different type of nerd."

Mukuro can't argue with that. "... I'm not a nerd." She insists again.

"Uh huh."

Mukuro isn't giving up though. "My grades aren't good enough for that." She argues.

"That's a common misconception when it comes to nerds, actually!" Sayaka says with an air of self-importance. "You can still have terrible grades and be a nerd. Besides, your grades are fine!"

Mukuro all but pouts. "They could be better."

"You're kicking my butt in math. That has to count for something."

Mukuro shrugs. "It's not that hard. It's just logical."

Sayaka huffs. "Geez, I hate when people say that..."

It's really the only subject Mukuro excels in, mostly because she has studied a lot of it for the sake of her Ultimate Talent. A lot of people wouldn't know it, but mathematics is incredibly important when it comes to the military, to warfare in general. Of course, an ordinary soldier wouldn't have any need for it, but she is far from ordinary. There's no way she is eloquent enough to say any of this out loud though, and she doesn't want to bring up weird stuff, so all she says to Sayaka is: "You're still doing better in most subjects."

"Everyone knows math counts as at least... five subjects!" Sayaka argues.

"Literature class is so boring that it counts for ten, and you're doing better in it than I am."

"You have a point! Guess I win, then." Sayaka giggles. "The trick is to tune out the teacher and just read on your own," she advises. "I'm listening to music through the entire class, so you could try that."

"I might." Mukuro says, seriously considering the idea. Surely even Sayaka's lively pop music would be less distracting than that old man's droning. It's not like she isn't used to listening to boring people talk. A lot of mission briefings in Fenrir were like that, but the difference is she was actually interested in what was being said. Also, there was the whole threat of dying due to insufficient information and all that.

They talk for an hour longer than usually, neither even noticing it until the time has already passed.

Mukuro wants to feel bad for wasting more of Sayaka's time, but they've obviously both had a lot of fun, so she can't bring herself to.

When they say their goodbyes, Sayaka almost looks like she wants to give her a kiss, but then doesn't.

Which is good. Mukuro isn't sure if she's capable of resisting it at this point.

 

-

 

As soon as she's back in her room, she gets a message on her phone.

 **Junko-chan:** look forward to tomorrow, mukuro-chan!!! you're going to the mall with your two most favorite people: junko chan and your little sister. also, sayaka chan will be there too. we gonna have SO much fun!!!!!!

She smiles, quickly writing a reply.

 **Mukuro:** I'm looking forward to it, Junko-chan. You forgot my third most favorite person: the most beautiful girl in the entire world. (I'm talking about you obviously, not Sayaka-san, just to be clear...) I really hope you're going to enjoy tomorrow. : )

She feels silly for being so sentimental, but can't help herself. She feels excited about tomorrow, almost giddy. She really hopes Junko will wear her ruby earrings tomorrow...

There's still a nagging voice in her head though, trying to spread suspicion inside of her, but she tries her best to dismiss it.

Their relationship is better than it's ever been. And she knows her sister isn't acting, she knows Junko is being genuine. She can feel it.

They're sisters. Twin sisters. Maybe it makes no logical sense, but that means something.

Junko would do a lot of things to her, but not this. She might insult, hurt, belittle, try to kill her, or even lie -- rarely though, that's very rare -- to her, but betraying her feelings like this? Mukuro simply can't believe her sister would do such a thing. There's no way. No way she would lie about this, of all things.

She believes in Junko.

Still... it's awfully easy to make her sister upset. She has to do everything in her power to avoid that. No apologies, for once. No stupid questions like during lunch break earlier -- she's lucky Junko was in such a good mood.

Mukuro feels full of determination. She won't make Junko upset. No matter what.

She pauses.

What if Sayaka does, somehow? She wouldn't on purpose, of course, but it's possible.

Mukuro presses her lips into a thin line. If Sayaka makes her sister angry or sad... even by accident...

Well, it's obvious.

Then she'll just have to make Sayaka pay for it.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing much happens in this chapter, well nothing that overt, but it's a necessary build-up to the mall chapter and etc., which is definitely going to happen next time and will definitely not be put off again! (unless Komaeda blows the mall up by accident)
> 
> Wow, I'm posting the mall chapter one day before the Despair Sisters' birthday. Or exactly on their birthday, since in my time zone I sometimes upload this series past midnight. Does that mean anything? I have no idea!


End file.
